Tag Archive for: Daily Breeze

West Basin Approves Desalination-Plant Impact Report — While Dozens of Foes Stand Against It

/in , , /by /Daily Breeze by David Rosenfeld

West Basin Municipal Water District took the next steps Monday night, Nov. 18, toward building a desalination facility in El Segundo, a project that has drawn fierce opposition from conservation groups — including some who staged a rally before the meeting.

Although not a go-ahead for the actual project, the board’s certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report in a 4-1 vote means the water district can move ahead in planning the next phases of the project.

Director Carol Kwan, who represents Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and parts of Torrance, was the lone dissenting vote.

 

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Southern California Water Agency Approves $5 Million For Stormwater Pilot

/in , /by /Daily Breezeby David Rosenfeld

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday, Sept. 10, approved $5 million for a stormwater pilot project to determine the best and most efficient way to capture the tens of billions of gallons of rainwater that flow off roofs and pavement each year.

“A lot of hope has been placed in the potential of stormwater as a local water supply for Southern California,” said Metropolitan Chairwoman Gloria Gray. “We want to better understand that potential, and its cost, as part of our commitment to developing local resources.”

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Lomita Drains its $13 Million Water Reservoir Because of Cancer-Causing Chemicals

/in , /by /Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.)by Nick Green

Lomita has stopped using a 5 million-gallon emergency reservoir that blends local groundwater and more expensive imported water, another fallout from the discovery of cancer-causing chemicals in the water supply, prompting renewed criticism from some residents that the $13 million project doesn’t work as designed.

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Endangered Wetlands Offer Vital Wildlife Habitat And A Reason To Fight About Coastal Development

/in , /by /Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.)by Martin Wisckol

Between Southern California’s popular beaches and much-traversed mountain trails lies an unsung natural landscape, teeming with its own special wildlife. As you head outdoors to celebrate Earth Day weekend — or to simply connect with nature and leave behind the anxieties of urban life — one option is our area’s often overlooked coastal wetlands. In Orange and Los Angeles counties, more than 90 percent of the estuaries, lagoons and other coastal waters that existed in the 19th century have been lost to roads, buildings and other development. But what remains provides a crucial habitat for resident animals and migrating birds, including several endangered species.

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Garcetti Pledges L.A. Will Recycle 100% Of Wastewater By 2035

/in , /by /Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.)

Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged last week that Los Angeles will recycle 100 percent of its wastewater by 2035 as part of an effort to reduce the city’s dependence on imported water. “Conservation is about more than how we respond to a dry year — it should shape how we prepare our city for tomorrow,” Garcetti said. “Maximizing L.A.’s recycling capacity will increase the amount of water we source locally, and help to ensure that Angelenos can count on access to clean water for generations to come.”

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4 Years After a Corruption Scandal, West Basin Water District Still Wrestling with Ethics

/in , /by /Daily Breeze (Torrance, Calif.)by David Rosenfeld

When Ronald Smith became ensnared in a corruption probe and resigned in disgrace from an obscure South Bay water agency, his board colleagues quickly vowed to impose changes to combat such ethical lapses. The Carson-based West Basin Municipal Water District, which has a $200 million budget and supplies imported water to 17 mostly South Bay cities, performed an audit, overhauled codes of conduct for board members and eliminated individual community outreach funds, the same pot of money that Smith used to steer $20,000 of public funds through a Torrance nonprofit to pay for personal expenses. But that was three years ago.

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